Best goat breed for pets?

[Jasmine1998]

I have fainting goats. You really have to make sure you have secure fencing with them..more so to keep things out of their pen since when startled or when they get excited they go down & cannot defend themselves or run away.

 

[scrambledmess]

Well if you want to sell the kids, you are going to have to invest a bit of money in the does to have good quality kids or you won't get much if anything for them. If you are just wanting a pet, I have pygmies. They are lots of fun. You can usually get the whethers pretty cheap off craigslist, hoobly or kijiji. You might be surprised how many people have goats in your area that aren't into breeding big time and just have some around to have them around.

Not sure if this will work or not, but here is a link a video of my two with my human kids:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=455726658587

 

[awesomefowl]

Yeah, I am thinking nigerian dwarfs.....are they really harder to fence than other breeds?

 

[awesomefowl]

BYC needs a goats-only thread.

 

[TLWR]

Quote:
an entire section for goats
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/

 

[scrambledmess]

We put up hog panels for our pygmies. They were babies when we first got them and crawled right through the holes in the fencing. Since they have gotten fat and grown some, they do not get through any longer. But it was a challenge there for a while.

 

[awesomefowl]

Do hogs and goats get along?

 

[scrambledmess]

There are no hogs behind our hog panels. I would never trust a hog with another animal. I think some people do, but I would NEVER do it. I have seen what hogs can do... scary!

 

[drdoolittle]

Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy goats are great pets, but you have to be careful with breeding them. If they become pregnant with only one kid, a cesaerean is almost always needed, and then it only saves the mother's life. The kid will usually die, as you don't realise there is trouble before it's too late. I have 2 does this happened to at the previous owner's, and I took them knowing I would never breed them, as I would worry about a single birth.

Also, were you planning on bottle-feeding the babies you want to buy? It is very expensive, as they should not be weaned until around 4 mos., and you have to be very careful here, too. They can bloat, get darrhea, or just not thrive. I bottle-fed my 3 youngest this past spring, and it was WORK. The best formula, is a mix between Uni-Milk (can be bought at TSC or Rural King), whole milk (from the grocery), and corn syrup-----I also added a probiotic. It all gets so expensive and time-consuming, that I would NEVER do it again----unless I had to. I mixed the formula as directed, then mixed half and half with the milk, and added 3 TBSP corn syrup per gallon, and added the probiotic to each bottle as it was warmed-----warm formula first if using microwave and then add probiotic.

Just thought I'd offer some advice.

Oh, I got my three babies off CL----my little doe was the size of my 4 lb. chihuahua (not kidding) $100, and the twin wethers were $120 together---that's because the woman probably waned them gone (she was milking the mother and bottle-feeding the babies). They all three stayed in our bedroom in a huge dog crate for about 8 weeks or more!

 

[CaGoatLady]

I have Pygmies, Nigerians, Nubians, a La Mancha, and Boers; the Boers are my most affectionate goats, but they certainly aren't small.